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What is product configuration? What is a configurator? How will having one power up your integrated CPQ process? And what impact can visual product configuration have on the overall customer engagement, sales cycle duration, and manufacturing efficiency?

Unsure? Then this article is for you.

Before taking a look at the five best online product configurators out there, let’s get an idea of the present status of the configuration technology market and also discover the impact that an online product configurator has on your business. 

What is a 3D product configurator?

A 3D product configurator is a software application to make the configuration of complex, customizable products easy, swift, and error-free. 

In most traditional manufacturing setups, sales reps have to navigate extensive and technical product catalogs full of multiple options. Configuration of products is tough work. It needs sufficient training and is prone to human error and a number of other inefficiencies. 

A visual product configurator facilitates the automation and streamlining of the configuration process. With a 3D product configurator, sales reps can then create complex products by just clicking, dragging, and then dropping in an intuitive 3D visual interface. They can switch colors, dimensions, parts, features, and a lot more with just a few clicks.

The 3D product configuration process is brought into effect by advanced product and pricing rules built into the software. These rules guarantee that every single configuration is completely free of errors. More than that though, they optimize every configuration for the overall engineering efficiency, profitability, and even customer satisfaction.

Product rules are the guard rails where sales reps need to operate. Sales reps no longer need such a huge amount of training for selecting products. New hires can then be made acquainted in a few days and then start performing even at the highest level.

Automation of the most simple and redundant sales tasks reduces sales cycles to a mere fraction of the industry averages. The quote responsiveness gets brought down to just seconds. This then leaves sales reps free to pay attention to newer business. They can also get themselves out of Excel and then begin with what they are really good at.

A 3D product configurator is a part of the broader CPQ (configure, price, and quote) solution, which further reduces those sales cycles. As sales reps cut and change their product options through their online product configurator, the CPQ then recalculates and updates prices in real-time. Once such a configuration gets finalized, the CPQ then automatically generates a huge amount of sales documents like quotes, proposals, and even estimates.

A visual CPQ solution like KBMax takes things up a notch by the automation of core engineering tasks. Other than the sales documents that all CPQ solutions produce, KBMax generates the technical drawings automatically through CAD (SolidWorks, AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, and PTC Creo), BOMs, CNC cut-sheets, and further. KBMax eliminates the engineering bottlenecks, making manufacturing more and more scalable.

Allow customers to use your eCommerce configurator as well

The biggest benefit of an online product configurator is that anyone can use it–from sales reps, distributors, and even the final end-customers. Sellers can then include their configurators within their eCommerce website, and this is where they get an eCommerce configurator. 

Through an eCommerce configurator, buyers can configure complex products pretty independently, at any time, anywhere, and also by any device. An online product configurator through an external, customer-end website, is the perfect solution when the new trend of remote work looks to be continued for a long time to come. 

Millennials getting increasingly into decision-making buying roles show a transparent preference for autonomy in browsing and buying. They will deal with a sales rep if they have to, but not before evaluating the many different options online. Failure to providing an engaging online buying experience is a big turn-off.

Are online product configurators a good B2B investment?

Online product configurators have been a big feature of the B2C world for more than a decade now. Shoe manufacturers were much ahead here. In many ways, they still are though. Nike’s “Nike By You” online product configurator gives an amazing buying experience where the customers get to change colors, materials, laces and then also share the designs on social media. It’s a sales and marketing tool all in one.

The B2B world has been pretty slow in the adoption of sales technology. It’s related to personal selling and a highly uniform approach, with always in mind that increased customization will translate to more parts, increased complexity, more errors, and reduced profits. Rules-based CPQ has taken away these fears.

What’s also hard to ignore is the high demand for personalization among the many B2B buyers. Buyers want personalized goods, for which they are prepared to spend more. Today’s personalization leaders experience anywhere between 5-15% increases in revenue and 10-30% increases in the efficiency of their marketing spend. But that’s just a start, with AI getting better at providing personalized recommendations. KBMax users get an average 40% increase in online conversion rate.

86% of buyers are ready to pay a premium for a smooth customer experience. Personalization then plays a big part (according to 70% of respondents.) 91% of consumers are also more likely to shop from brands providing customized offer recommendations.

Online product configuration isn’t a mere gimmick–it’s actually the future of B2B sales. Let’s have a look at some of the examples of amazing product configurators (both B2C and B2B) and then see what we gain from them.

Top 5 product configurator instances

1. Reducing design time in life sciences - Merck

Merck Millipore collaborated with KBMax for the creation of a product configurator for seven engineer-to-order medical product lines. The end result was a 99% enhancement in quote generation and then a reduction of sales cycle duration from 3 weeks to just one hour!

The drag-and-drop, CAD-based configurator brought a massive efficiency boost at the engineering level. Sales can configure the products in real-time, and when they are finalized, CAD files get automatically generated without any kind of engineering input.

Takeaways: Engineer-to-order products are good candidates for the online product configurators. CAD and design automation governs their efficiency and innovation.

1. Visual configuration with countless options - Timberlane

Timberlane creates a customized exterior with a lot of options. They also don’t have any decided sizes – every single product is custom-made and then manufactured tightly.

Timberlane’s sales reps make use of a visual product configurator for selecting options when setting up an order. The advanced product rules then ensure the validity of every product. The configurator then auto-generates 2D drawings to be used in various manufacturing operations. It also specifies the kind of machinery and workstations to be used.

Takeaways: Sometimes, it’s not the complexity of a product but also the number of options making sales highly challenging. Product rules make it pretty easy to design great products for every unique customer, even when there are a lot of potential permutations.

1. Increase engagement and then make a sale everywhere - Xenith

Xenith is a pretty good instance of a future-oriented company in a somewhat stagnant industry, taking the digital lead and then also engaging with the customers in an absolutely new way. By allowing the customers to configure products in 3D, Xenith has jumped ahead of the competition and consolidated its status as an innovator.

But it’s not just the customers that have benefited from Xenith’s investment in 3D product configuration. Sales reps can use the software internally, simplifying the complete sales process and reducing sales cycles as well. 

Takeaways: A 3D online product configurator is a big differentiator. But it’s not just the customers that enjoy its benefits. Online product configuration also empowers sales reps, automating even the most time-consuming tasks and taking out errors.

1. Complex products simplified - NanaWall

NanaWall is a seller of operable glass wall systems that are highly advanced and also very complex to explain. Having an online product configurator has allowed NanaWall to lend a visual context and clarity that’s needed to bring down the purchase anxiety and sell their popular items.

NanaWall’s wall systems are animated and pretty interactive. Users can also change and preview the swing direction, maximum swing, handles, materials, and the like. Sales reps doo love it due to the fact that the product rules are built-in, so they don’t need to worry about compatibility.

Takeaways: It is said that "a picture is worth a thousand words", which is true. The human brain processes an image 60,000 times quicker than plain text. So, if you wish to convey complex product information clearly, then show it, but don’t tell. 

1. Product configuration + entertainment + heavy machinery = Caterpillar

Caterpillar always wished to do something different with their Cat® D6 dozer release. So they teamed up with visual CPQ provider, KBMax, for building a 3D product configurator that engaged, educated, and even entertained in equal proportions.

The result–“The Cat Dream Dozer”– an innovative, game-like configurator. Users can create their very own D6 dozer in 3D, bringing it out with real-life options and then personalizing it with “fantasy add-ons.”

Flexible and responsive, this configurator was pretty easily accessible via mobile and desktop. It gained huge visibility and leads. Caterpillar witnessed a 75% growth in new traffic visits, and 22% of click-throughs were marketing-qualified leads.

Takeaways: Entertainment should not be confined to B2C. Don’t be afraid for injecting some fun into your product configurator. Buyers get bombarded by technical information from all angles. Your 3D product configurator can be the differentiator they are looking for.